Can-righting machine.



S. BROWBR. cm RIGHT ING MACHINE. APPLICATION I'ILED AUG. 28, 1907.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

a sums-sum 1:105 cm, WASHINGTON s. BROWER." CAN RIGHTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG, 38, 1907.

912,535, Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

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THE NORRIS PETERS c0, WASHINGTON, n. c,

s. BROWBR. CAN RIGHTING MACHINE. APPLIOATIOIV TILED AUG. 28, 1907. 912,535; Patented Feb. 16, '1909.

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SAMUEL BROWER, OF NEBRASKA CITY, NEBRASKA.

CAN-RIGHTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 16, 1909.

Application filed August 28, 1907. Serial No. 390,498.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL Bnownn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Nebraska City, in the county of Otoe and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Can-Righting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention concerns devices for receiving tin cans or similar articles in a chute without predetermined arrangement and delivering them all right side up, that is open end up, ready for filling.

Ordinarily the cans are fed to the machine by gravity from a storage house, and the obect of my invention is to provide a device of simple construction and economical manufacture for righting the cans and discharging them all open or top end up.

My machine has two flexibly-mounted,- connected, rocking fingers inclined on their upper surfaces, spaced apart a distance less than the length of the cans, and located in the chute or passage for the cans. The closed end of each can, due to the weight of the can, pushes one finger over to allow the can to pass, and, in so doing, owing to the connection between the fingers, projects the end of the companion finger or member into the hole at the other end of the can. Each can is retained temporarily in this position, and When released the closed end drops due to gravity while the open end hangs or fulcrums on its finger for a sufficient length of time to compel the can to drop open end upwards. It makes no difference, therefore, how the cans arrive at the fingers since the finger at the open end of the can retards the drop of that end of the can, thereby compelling it to land right side up every time.

On the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, I have illustrated a preferred and desirable embodiment of my invention, and in the various views like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved machine; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevation of the machine from the side opposite that illustrated in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 4, 4 of Fig. 1 looking downwardly.

The machine includes at its upper end a vertical chute or passage formed of four corner angle bars 10, which are spaced apart the proper distance to receive between them a series of tin cans or similar articles resting upon one another and each disposed horizontally. 'ihe bottom or lower end of the chute is built up of similar corner angle bars 11, and is adapted to receive the tin cans in upright position. Between the lower end of the upper chute and the top end of the lower chute the passage is somewhat enlarged and converges downwardly, being formed by upwardly diverging portions 12 of the upright or substantially vertical angle bars 11. As is clearly indicated on the drawings, crossbars 13,14, 15,16, 17, 18 and 19 are provided which hold the corner angles in place. lhe bars 17 extend some distance outside of or beyond the chute and have between their opposite ends the pair of rotatable shafts 49 mounted on conical pivots 50. Each shaft 49 has fixed thereto an arm 51, the two arms 51 being connected by a link 20, whereby the oscillation of either shaft 49 is communicated through the arms and link to the other shaft. Each shaft 49 also has fixed thereto and oscillatory therewith an upstanding arm 21 in the top bifurcated end of which is pivoted at 22 an inwardly-extended finger 23 having a top downwardly-inclined surface 24. Each finger 23 extends outwardly beyond its pivot and is connected to a screw 25 threaded in its shaft 49 by a contractile spring 26, the tension of which on the finger may be varied by inserting its upper end in any one of a plurality of slots 27 at the rear end of the finger. Between the upstanding ears of the bifurcated end of each arm 21 the surface of the latter is inclined at 28 to allow for the downward turning of the finger and is equipped with a shoulder 29 to limit or prevent downward turning of the other or outer end of the finger. Normally the springs 26 hold the fingers 24 in substantially horizontal position against the shoulders 29, as indicated in the figures. As is obvious from the drawings, the distance between the adjacent ends of the fingers is less than the length of the cans.

Above the fingers and slidable in bearings 30, bolted to the angle bars 10, is a frame composed of a pair of bars 31 tied together at their opposite ends by bolts or rods "52 and 33. Stops or retaining lugs 34 are fastened to the inner faces of bars 31v and are adapted to slide through apertures 35 in the angle bars 10 so as to project sufficiently into the chute to prevent downward passage of the cans, which rest upon one. another as indicated in big. 2.

0n the bars 13 are pivoted at 36 the top ends of a pair of bent arms 37 connected together intermediate their ends by an angle bar 38 apertured for the passage of pins 39 encircling which, between the bar 38 and the chute, are coil expansion springs 40 which tend to force the angle bar 38 and arms 37 outwardly, as will be readily understood. At their lower ends the arms 37 are equipped with stop shoulders or lugs 41 which are adapted to pass through the apertures 42 of the chute into the path of travel of the cans below the pair of fingers 23. "a hen the arms 37, however, are swung outwardly under the influence of the springs 40 the stops 41 are removed sufficiently from the chute to allow the can above them to drop. frivoted at 52 on the chute is a catch 43 having a portion 44 adapted to hook over a flange of the angle bar 38 to retain the stops 41 in can retaining position in the chute in opposition to the action of springs 40. Catch 43 also has a tail 45 above the cross-rod 33 mentioned above.

Any suitable means may be used for operating the stops, and merely as an example of such devices I have shown a rotary shaft 46 on Fig. 2 having a crank arm 47 connected to the cross-bar 32 by a link 48. 'lhe cans, which have one end open and the opposite end closed, are fed to the top of the chute in any approved manner and drop down the same by gravity, resting upon each other, as indicated in l ig. 2. chute is narrower in one dimension than in the other so that the longest dimensions of the cans are all disposed in the chute in the same direction, but the open ends of the cans may be either to the right or to the left of the chute, as viewed in Fig. 1. It is for the purpose of righting these cans and delivering them all open end upwards that my device is provided.

Assuming that the stops 34 and 41 are in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, that is with the stops 34 in the chute and the stops 41 removed therefrom, any cans descending in the chute will rest upon the stops 34, the cans above lying or resting upon those beneath. When the stops 34 on the bars 31 and the cross-rod 33 are moved to the left, as viewed in Fig. 2, by the rotation of shaft 46, or any other suitable mechanism, the stops 34 are removed out of the path of the cans, and this movement of the parts by the (ontact of rod 33 with the bent arms 37 pushes the stops 41 into thepath of descent of the can released by the stops 34. When the stops 34 have been brought to this in cross section theposition against the action of springs 40 they are retained therein by the catch 43 whose hook 44 engages over the upright flange of angle bar 38. 'As soon as the can is released by the stops 34 it drops by gravity and one end thereof strikes the inclined top surface 24 of that one of the fingers 23 which projects into the chute. If the solid or closed end of the can strikes the finger it rocks the latter on its pivot 22 against the tension of its spring 26 and at the same time throws said finger bodily outwardly a slight distance until the tip of the opposite finger has been moved, through the oscillating connections betweenthe fingers, into contact with the opposite centrally apertured end wall of the can. point where said last named finger comes opposite the hole in the end wall of the can, both fingers rock back on their pivots to normal position under the influence of their controlling springs 26, and in so doing both are bodily shifted,the finger engaging the closed end outwardly of the chute, and the finger engaging the open end inwardly of the chute, and into the hole in the open end of the can. This can now rests upon the stops 41 and cannot further descend until these stops are removed. To allow the can to drop and be right-ed by the mechanism, the

frame carrying stops 34 and rod 33 is pushed to the right, as viewed in Fig. 2, by the rotation of shaft 46, the stops 34 coming beneath the can immediately above the one between the fingers so as to prevent the descent of all cans above them. Rod 33 in its travel lifts catch 43, freeing the arms 37 andpernn'tting the catches 41 to be removed from the chute under the expansion of springs 40. By this means the supports for the can between the fingers are removed and, owing to the weight of the can, its closed end drops, the descent of its open end being retarded by hanging temporarily on the finger 23 projected or extended into the hole thereof. The can, therefore, turns in its descent so that its open end is uppermost. If, on the descent of the can, the open end of the latter strikes the inwardly projecting finger, the same action of the fingers as already described takes place, except that the final bodily movement of the two fingers is in an opposite direction to their initial bodily movement, instead of in the same direction as where the closed end strikes the finger. When the stops or shoulders 41 are removed from beneath the can the righting process occurs as described above, so that it is quite immaterial as to how the cans are fed to the fingers since one of the fingers will always project into the hole at the open end of the can and right the can during its further fall. it will be readily un- As soon as the can has dropped to a derstood that while the can between the fin- V the stop shoulders 34, and that before these shoulders are wholly removed from the can in the chute the lower shoulders 41 are brought again into the path of the descending can, whereby only one can at a time is fed to the righting fingers and acted upon thereby.

In order to allow sufficient space for a can during its turning from a horizontal to a vertical position, the flanges of angle bars 10 may be cut away at 53, as illustrated in Fig. 2. On this figure I have shown two cans 54 and 55 with the open ends toward the observer, and another can 56 with the closed end toward the observer, but after these cans have been acted upon by the fingers 23 they will all descend into the lower portion of the chute with the open end upwards.

I have described above and illustrated on the drawings the principle of the operation of my machine, but it is to be understood that the details of construction may be modified greatly without departure from the heart and substance of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a can-righting machine, the combination of a chute, and a pair of connected fingers located in the path of travel of the cans through said chute and spaced apart a distance less than the length of the cans, uhereby as a can is fed to said fingers one of the fingers it ill be projected into the open end of the can and act temporarily as a fu lcrum v. hen the can drops to tip the can open end up, substantially as described.

2. In a can-ri hting machine, the combination of a chute, and a pair of connected fingers located in the path of travel of the cans through said chute and spaced apart a distance less than the length of the cans, said fingers having inclined or beveled top surfaces, whereby as a can is fed to said fingers one of the fingers aill be projected into the open end of the can and act temporarily as a fulcrum u hen the can drops to tip the can open end up, substantially as described.

3. In a can-righting machine, the combination of a chute, and a pair of springpressed connected fingers located in the path of travel of the cans through said chute and spaced apart a distance less than the length of the cans, v. hereby as a can is fed to said fingers one of the fingers v ill be projected into the open end of the can and act temporarily as a fulcrum when the can drops to tip the can open end up, substantially as described.

i. In a can-righting machine, the con1- bination of a chute, and a pair of flexiblymounted connected fingers located in the path of travel of the cans through said chute and spaced apart a distance less than the length of the cans, v. hereby as a can is fed to said fingers one of the fingers will be projected into the open end of the can and act temporarily as a fulcrum when the can drops to tip the can open end up, substantially as described.

5. In a can-righting machine, the combination of a chute, and a pair of springpressed pivoted connected fingers located in the path of travel of the cans through said chute and spaced apart a distance less than the length of the cans, whereby as a can is fed to said fingers one of the fingers will be projected into the open end of the can and act temporarily as a fulcrum when the can drops to tip the can open end up, substantially as described.

6. In a can-righting machine, the combination of a chute, a pair of rock-shafts, two arms fixed to each of said rock-shafts, a link connecting one of the arms of each of said shafts, a finger yieldably mounted on each of the remaining arms of said shafts and adapted to be projected into and withdrawn from said chute, said fingers being spaced apart a distance less than the length of the cans, whereby as a can is fed to said fingers one of the fingers will be projected into the open end of the can and act temporarily as a fulcrum when the can drops to tip the can open end up, substantially as described.

7. In a can-righting machine, the combination of a chute, a pair of connected fingers adapted to be projected into and withdrawn from said chute and spaced apart a distance less than the length of the cans, whereby as a can is fed to said fingers one of the fingers will be projected into the open end of the can and act temporarily as a fulcrum when the can drops to tip the can open end up, a stop adapted to be extended into said chute below the can acted upon by said fingers, a stop adapted to be projected into the chute below the can immediately above the can acted on by the fingers to arrest the descent of the cans in the chute, and a connection between said stops whereby when one is in the path of travel of the cans the other is removed and vice versa, substantially as described.

8. In a can-righting machine, the combination of a chute adapted to accommodate the cans, a pair of connected fingers adapted to be projected into and withdrawn from the path of travel of the cans and. spaced apart a distance less than the length of the cans, whereby as a can is fed to said fingers one of the fingers will be projected into the open end of the can and act temporarily as a fulcrum when the can drops to tip the can open end up,-a stop adapted to be extended into said chute below the can acted upon by said fingers, spring means tending to remove said stop from said chute, a catch to hold said stop in said chute in opposition to the action of said spring means, a sto adapted to be projected into the chute be ow the can immediately above the can acted on by the fingers to arrest the descent of the cans in sto is projected into said chute, substansaid chute, and means Ctlo glove Sfilid firsgi tie as described. mentione sto into sai c ute w en sa-i 7 last mentioned stop is v; ithdrawn from the SAMUEL 5 chute and to release said catch so that the Witnesses: spring-actuated step may be withdrawn FEED. M. STUARNN, from the chute by its spring when said other JNo. W. STEINHART. 

